Strategic View: Openlayer, an AI governance platform co-founded by a Brazilian entrepreneur, has closed a $14.5M Series A. This “club deal” was led by US-based Race Capital, with heavy participation from a global consortium of LatAm and European funds, including NXTP, Mindset Ventures, and Y Combinator, showcasing the new cross-border venture club model.
Full story: This is what the new face of LatAm tech success looks like. It’s not just a local play; it’s a global export from day one. Openlayer, a startup co-founded by Brazilian Gabriel Bayomi, just raised $14.5 million to solve one of AI’s biggest problems: governance and evaluation. But how they raised it is the real story.
This was not a single-check deal. It was a precision-engineered club deal. Race Capital, a US fund, led the round, providing the Silicon Valley stamp of approval. But the real power came from the syndicate. A club of specialist funds, including LatAm-focused NXTP and Mindset Ventures, as well as European and US players like Y Combinator, all piled in.
This structure is the new blueprint for high-potential “de-risked” startups. The club forms for two reasons. First, it brings diverse expertise—US market-entry, LatAm engineering talent, and European regulatory insight. Second, it aligns all investors in a single, clean vehicle, allowing the founders to move fast.
This deal is a major signal for the Brazilian ecosystem. It proves that its top entrepreneurs are not just building for the local market; they are building global-first companies. And they are attracting sophisticated, global capital clubs to finance that vision. This is not just a funding round; it’s a validation of an entire generation of LatAm founders.
Summary: Openlayer’s $14.5M round is a model for the modern cross-border club deal. It matters because it shows how top LatAm founders are bypassing single-country funding and attracting global “,” blending US, LatAm, and European capital to build companies for the world stage from day one.
Source: BayBrazil
